PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate glycol) material is a strong and popular material for FDM 3D printers. In this guide, we will cover Nylon’s material properties for 3D printing and what applications it can be used for.
PETG Overviews
PETG is a cost-effective thermoplastic polyester material that is known for its chemical resistance, durability, and durability for manufacturing.
It offers flexible design freedom and can be used for many applications such as water bottles, snap-fit parts, and other waterproof applications. It’s a perfect filament material to combine strength and ductility in 3D printing.
PETG Material Properties
- Density – 1.27 g/cm3
- Thermal Coefficient Expansion – 60 µm/m-°C
- Max Service Temperature – 73°C
- Bed Temperature – 230 – 250°C
- Extruder Temperature – 230 – 250°C
- Recommended Build Surfaces – Glue Stick, Painter’s Tape
- Price – $20 – $60 per kg
Areas Of Strength
- Chemical & fatigue resistant
- Water resistant
- No odor when printing
- Smooth and glossy finish
Areas Of Weakness
- Not for hard structural applications
- Poor bridging
- May curl off thin hair on the build plate
Types Of PETG
PETG material gains popularity in the 3D printing community and it’s a variant of PET plastic enhanced with glycol to make the material much clearer and less brittle.
- PET – Not modified with glycol, food safe
- rPET – Environmentally friendly
- CPE – Tough, less odor (copolyester)
- PETT – More rigid than PETG
Common Applications For PETG
- Useable Bottles
- Covers
- Medical braces
- FDA approved food storage container
- Packaging for soap, detergents…etc
- Dental aligners
Which 3D Printers Can Print PETG
Please make sure your 3D printer has the following capability:
- Extruder temperature up to 230-250 °C
- Print speed around 25 – 50 mm/s
- Glue stick PEI or painter’s tape
- Heated bed up to 75-90 °C
- Cooling fan required
Best PETG Filament Materials To Buy
Please check out the following:
Overture PETG – Well priced
- Nozzle temperature: 230–250 °C
- Bed temperature: 80–90 °C
- Filament diameter: 1.75
AmazonBasics PETG
- Nozzle temperature: 230–240 °C
- Bed temperature: 45–55 °C (not required)
- Filament diameter: 1.75 or 2.85 mm
Hatchbox PETG
- Nozzle temperature: 230–250 °C
- No heat bed required
- Filament diameter: 1.75
Best Practices Using PETG Material In 3D Printing
Calibrate Retraction Setting To Reduce Stringing
- Reduce stringing (thin hair)
- Refined print head movement to avoid the strings to be outside of the model
- Coasting reduces the pressure in the nozzle right before the end of the segment
- Adjust temperature, retraction distance and retraction speed
Use A Heated Build Surface
- For the best result, a printer with heated surface helps with the first layer adhesion and makes prints much easier
Optimize Extruder To Prevent Blobs & Zits
- Enable extra restart distance or coasting to precent defects typically happens at the beginning or end of each segment when the extruder suddenly stop extruding plastic.
